Topic

Dementia?

Hello I've had a surgery 4-5 weeks ago and under went general anesthesia and they injected several anti-bacterial liquid while I was at the hospital. Once I got out the hospital i felt okay until I couldn't remember whether i had taken my pills or no from then on i started doubting my brain. Now once in a while I forget whether i had done a certain task or not (for example whether i closed the bathroom door or not). I also noticed every time i drink water i feel it run through the veins in my head which i hadn't felt this before surgery. I am an 18 year old athlete and i was wondering if this could be due to a certain dementia caused by the general anesthesia or previous concussion ( I was hit by an object then i had blurry vision which i never told my parents about)? I went to a GP right at the end of my street and she totally ignored me :'( was hoping she would refer me to a neurologist. I'd really appreciate someones help this is affecting my studies and also making me feel depressed once in a while (maybe because i worry too much?) Tags: dementia alzheimer young alzhemeir concussion brain concussion short term memory Michael Gonzalez-Wallace memory improvement new york times concussions exercise memory

2014-11-17 11:49:34

Amy

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Hi Chad and thanks so much for your question! Feel free to post in any other forum as well such as memory or neurology. From your letter I can really see why are you concerned and worried about those symptoms. However you should rule out dementia since dementia it is a cognitive decline condition affecting if you are over 80 although in the UK there are over 17000 cases of young adults with dementia (under 65) http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=164 Head injuries including concussions particularly in the game of American football have become a subject of deep concern much study and even Congressional hearings in the United States. As you may know by now brain concussions normally affect the temporal lobe of the brain where short term memory is stored. It is not rare that you may have episodic situations also after the concussion. Having said that it is really important that a neurologist confirms that you have no internal damage. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/football/head_injuries/index.html I will try to keep as active as you can practice meditation and exercise and see if the symptoms improve I hope this helps and you feel better!

2014-11-17 11:50:07

David